Fuel distributor mounting



J. w. MYERS 2,092,403

' FUEL DISTRIBUTOR MOUNTING Sept. 7, 1937.

Filed Feb. 5', 1932 v INVENTOR.

JZfizz 11/73/6115 6 WM ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 7, 1937 PATENT OFFICE 2,092,403 FUEL DISTRIBUTOR MOUNTING John W. Myers, Roanoke, Va., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Standard Stoker Company, Inc, New York, Delaware N. Y., a corporation of Application February 5, 1932, Serial No. 591,129

9 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanical stokers and particularly to such as embody means for raising coal to a point in the firebox above the fire by way of a suitable conduit extending up through the firebox grates and then distributing the coal by means of a pressure fluid blast issuing from a distributor head located adjacent the rear side of the upper end of the conduit.

It has been customary to rigidly secure the distributor head to the conduit and run the supply pipe lines downwardly therefrom, then rearwardly beneath the boiler mud ring and then upwardly along the outside sheet of the boiler backhead to the pressure fluid manifold which is secured to the boiler backhead outside sheet. In anumber. of stoker installations it has been found desirable to run the supply pipe lines rearwardly from the distributor head through the backhead, preferably through the firing opening, to the manifold and in such installations due to the relative movement between the boiler backhead and the conduit caused by expansion and contraction of the backhead, portions of the conduit casting have broken away or other parts associated with the stoker mechanism have failed. In the usual installation this contraction and expansion is compensated for by the flexibility provided in the long U-shaped piping connecting the distributor head and manifold, but where as in the present installation it is found advantageous to run short pipes through the backhead to connect the distributor head and manifold, they do not afford sufficient flexibility to compensate for contraction and expansion and it is therefore the object of the present invention to provide in'such installations, simple, efficient and compact means which will freely permit expansion and contraction between the conduit and boiler backhead and eliminate breaking away or failure of any part of the stoker or its associated mechanism.

As a further object, my invention contemplates the provision of a stoker having a pressure fluid distributor head at the discharge mouth thereof arranged for movement across the fuel stream passing through the stoker discharge mouth and provided with means for restraining movement thereof by the fuel stream in the direction of its flow.

The invention will be described more in detail .in connection with the accompanying drawing,

in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the stoker and associated parts of the locomotive,

parts being sectioned and broken away for the sake of clearness; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

The stoker embodying my invention is of the type employed with locomotive engines. The numeral Ill indicates the locomotive firebox which is provided with the grates II, the boiler backhead I2 and thefiring opening I3. The cab deck I4 extends rearwardly from the backhead I2 below the firing opening I3.

I I The conduit system of the stoker comprises a tubular conduit element I5 leading from a suitable source of fuel supply; an angular conduit element It, usually termed an elbow, secured at its rear end to the conduit element I5 in any suitable manner; and a riser or mouth element 11 suitably connected to the elbow I6. The elbow IE passes under the mud ring I8 of the backhead I2 and the riser or mouth element I'I extends upwardly within the firebox I0 and is housed or protected by a grating I9. The conduit system is rigidly supported from the loco- I motive frame by suitable means as shown As the fuel delivered through the conduit sys tem emerges from the top of the riser or mouth element II it is struck by a blast of pressure fluid issuing from the jet openings 22 of the chambers 22a in the distributor head 23. Pressure fluid is supplied to the distributor head 23 through the openings 23a in its wall 231) from the piping 24 which extends rearwardly from the distributor head and through the backhead I2, preferably through the firing opening I3, and then to the manifold 25 which is securely fixed to the rearwall 28 of the backhead l2.

Since the manifold 25 ,is securely fixed to th backhead I2 and the distributor head 23 is attached to the conduit riser or mouth element I1,

I and the piping. 24 is,for all practical purposes unyielding, means must be arranged to compensate for relative movement between the element I1 and the backhead I2 caused by expansion and contraction of the locomotive boiler with change in temperature.

This is accomplished by providing a particular arrangement of the element II with the distributor head 23 whereby relative movement between the two longitudinally with respect tothe firebox is permitted but relative lateral and vertical movement between the two is prevented. The rear wall of the element I1 is provided adjacent its top with a horizontal slot 21, the upper portion of which is restricted by the inwardly extending flanges or shoulders 28 forming in effect an inverted T-shaped slot. Extending rearwardly from the element I! and bordering the marginal edges of the slot 21 is a flange 29 forming a way for the base 30 of the distributor head 23. The way and base 30 form, in effect, a key and groove connection between the head 23 and the conduit element II which allows relative movement of the head 23 with reference to the element l1.

It is evident therefore, that as relative movement occurs between the element J1 and the backhead i2, the distributor head 23 may slide longitudinally with respect to the firebox in the 5 way formed by the slot 27 and flange 29, but is held in fixed position with respect to vertical movement by the flanges 28 and with respect to transverse movement by the lateral limits of the slot 27.

I claim:

1. In a locomotive stoker, in combination with a locomotive provided with a frame, and a firebox having a backhead, a fuel conduit secured to said frame and having its delivery end extending into said firebox to a point above the grate thereof, the rear wall of said conduit having an inverted T-shaped slot adjacent its upper end, a pressure fluid distributor head mounted on said conduit to project fuel over the grate and having a portion slidable in said slot in a plane transverse to the passage of fuel through said conduit, the shoulders of said T-shaped slot engaging said distributor head to prevent movement thereof by the fuel stream passing through said conduit, a manifold securely attached to the rear wall of the backhead, and piping extending rearwardly from said distributor head and passing through said backhead to said manifold, said piping establishing communication between said manifold and said distributor head and retaining the latter in a predetermined position with respect to said firebox backhead.

2. In a locomotive stoker, in combination with a locomotive provided with a frame, and a firebox having a backhead with a firing opening therein, a fuel conduit secured to said frame and having its delivery end extending into said firebox to a point above the grate thereof, said conduit having a rear wall, a flange extending rearwardly from said rear wall, said flange having an inverted T-shaped slot forming a way, a pressure fluid distributor head arranged to project fuel over the grate mounted to slide in said way in a plane transverse to the passage of fuel through said conduit, said flange engaging said distributor head to prevent movement thereof by the fuel stream passing through the conduit, a manifold securely attached to the rear wall of said backhead, and piping extending rearwardly from said distributor head and passing through said firing opening to said manifold, said piping establishing communication between said manifold and said distributor head and retaining the latter in a predetermined position with respect to said firebox backhead.

3. In a locomotive stoker, in combination with a locomotive provided with a frame, and a firebox having a backhead, a fuel conduit member secured to said frame and having its delivery end extending into the firebox to a point above the grate thereof, a pressure fluid distributor head member at the discharge mouth of said conduit member arranged to project fuel to different portions of the firebox, said distributor head member being slidably mounted upon said conduit member in a plane transverse to the passage of fuel therethrough, a manifold securely attached to said backhead, piping connecting said distributor head member and said manifold, said piping establishing communication between said manifold and said distributor head member and retaining the latter in a predetermined position with respect to said firebox backhead, and means engaging said distributor head member to prevent movement thereof by the fuel stream passing through said conduit member.

l. As a new article of manufacture, a stoker conduit open at opposite ends to form a fuel passage therethrough, a flange extending outwardly and laterally from the rim of the discharge end thereof and being disposed wholly exteriorly of the fuel passage, said flange having a slot extending lengthwise thereof from the rim of the discharge end of the stoker conduit to the free end of the flange, the slot defined by said flange considered in cross section being inverted T-shaped, and the restricted portion of said slot opening through the surface of said flange in the same direction as the discharge end of the stoker conduit opens.

5. In a locomotive stoker, in combination with a locomotive provided with a frame and a firebox having a backhead, a fuel conduit secured to said frame and having its delivery end extending into said firebox to a point above the grate thereof, a pressure fluid distributor head at the discharge mouth of said conduit arranged to project fuel box, said distributor head being slidably mounted upon said conduit, a manifold securely attached to therear wall of the backhead, and piping connecting said distributor head with said manifold, said piping establishing communication between said manifold and said distributor head and retaining the latter in a predetermined position with respect to said firebox backhead.

6. In a locomotive stoker, in combination with a locomotive provided with a frame, and a firebox having a backhead, a fuel conduit member secured to said frame and having its delivery end extending into said firebox to a point above the grate thereof, a pressure fluid distributor head member at the discharge mouth of said conduit member arranged to project fuel to different portions of the firebox, said distributor head member being slidably mounted on said conduit member in a plane transverse to the passage of fuel therethrough, a manifold securely attached to the rear wall of the backhead, and piping connecting said distributor head member with said manifold, said piping establishing communication between said manifold and said distributor head member and retaining the latter in a predetermined position with respect to said firebox backhead, one of said members being provided with a key and the other of said members being provided with a keyway to permit the said distributor member to slide on said conduit member, said key and keyway being interfitted to prevent movement of said distributor head memher by the fuel stream passing through said conduit member.

'7. In a locomotive stoker, in combination with a locomotive provided with a frame and a firebox having a backhead, a fuel conduit member secured to said frame and having its delivery end extending into said firebox to a point above the grate thereof, a pressure fluid distributor head member at the discharge mouth of said conduit to different portions of the firemember arranged to project fuel to different portions of the firebox, said distributor head member being slidably mounted on said conduit member in a plane transverse to the passage of fuel therethrough, one of said members being provided with a key and the other of said members being provided with a keyway to permit the said distributor member to slide on said conduit member, said key and keyway being interfitted to prevent movement of said distributor head by the fuel stream passing through said conduit memher.

8. In a locomotive stoker, in combination with a locomotive provided with a frame and a firebox having grates and a backhead with a firing opening therein, a fuel conduit member secured to said frame extending upwardly into said firebox through the grates thereof, a pressure fluid distributor member at the discharge mouth of said conduit member arranged to project fuel to different portions of the firebox, said distributor member being slidably mounted on said conduit member in a plane transverse to the passage of fuel therethrough, one of said members being provided with a key and the other of said members being provided with a keyway to permit the said distributor member to slide on said conduit member, said key and keyway being interfitted to prevent movement of said distributor member by the fuel stream passing through said conduit member, and a. manifold securely attached to the rear wall of the backhead and piping extending rearwardly from said distributor member and passing through said firing opening to said manifold, said piping establishing communication between said manifold and said distributor member and retaining the latter in a predetermined position with respect to said firebox backhead.

9. In combination with a firebox having grates, a stoker for delivering fuel to said firebox comprising a conduit member having an upward directed fuel discharge mouth, and a pressure ,fiuid distributor head member at the discharge mouth of said conduit member for projecting fuel over the firebox grates, said distributor head member being mounted for slidable fore and aft movement on said conduit member in a, plane extending across the fuel stream emerging from the discharge mouth of said conduit member, one of said members being provided with a key and the other of said members being provided with a keyway to permit said distributor member to slide on said conduit member, said key and keyway being. interfitted to fix said distributor member against lateral movement and movement by the fuel stream in the direction of its flow.

JOHN W. MYERS. 

